The "Embers" brand at Home depot is $4.99 every day and the RO briquettes in the red bag are over $5 a bag and up to $5.99 per bag at Lowes. I have seen them on sale at 2 for 1 at Lowes on memorial day.

Thanks for sharing this! I've heard great things about ROCS. The closest pickup from me is an hour into DC. I'm not to fond of driving into the city but at least I know how to get it!

Buy in bulk for fewer trips. That's what I do. I have to drive about a half hour each way to get it. And I drive through Oakland and Berkeley to go there. The store is on the island/town of Alameda and traffic sucks there especially if one or more of the bridges are up.

Kingsford is ok...but honestly, it seems the quality has diminished a little in recent years. So much so that RO seems to be a better buy and itís always $5-6 a bag (plus I donít have to take up space in the garage storing it).

That said, Iím waiting for the Stubbs one day lowes sale (sometimes itís late summer...last year it was in May) and Iíll couple it with an online coupon.

Kingsford is ok...but honestly, it seems the quality has diminished a little in recent years. So much so that RO seems to be a better buy and itís always $5-6 a bag (plus I donít have to take up space in the garage storing it).

That said, Iím waiting for the Stubbs one day lowes sale (sometimes itís late summer...last year it was in May) and Iíll couple it with an online coupon.

Being totally new to the charcoal game, I picked up two, twin bags of KO for 11.60. 4 bags should get me started. After Iím done or nearly done with the bags, I really look forward to trying different brands ie Stubbs, Weber, RO etc. I guess thatís half the fun!

Being totally new to the charcoal game, I picked up two, twin bags of KO for 11.60. 4 bags should get me started. After I’m done or nearly done with the bags, I really look forward to trying different brands ie Stubbs, Weber, RO etc. I guess that’s half the fun!

William

You're right! Honestly, a lot of pit masters like Harry Soo, buy whatever is on sale (usually KBB) and win Grand Championships. When grilling I prefer RO usually because its the cheapest and comparable to KBB. When smoking in the WSM, I usually use whatever bag I have open closest to the chimney.

After trying half a dozen different kinds, Stubbs is my favorite briquette...followed by Weber.

Stuff will be on sale periodically from May-September. Charcoal is a lot like toilet paper. You're going to use it so buy it when it's on sale/on clearance.

I bought quite a few bags early 2017 when Walmart had the twin packs for $5. And honestly I wasnít a fan at first however I was still pretty green to charcoal. So I started using it mostly for my short grilling cooks like chicken breasts burgers and steaks. Now I have a better feel for it and itís temperament. I have not used it on many long cooks yet and I still feel personally I donít get the longevity of burn some seem to but Iím not going to complain for the price. Just learn your pit

I also believe that this year I will experiment more with lump pending what deals I can find